Adapting to a changing economy Loudonville businesses counting on tourists, special events to sur

Thursday

Jul 30, 2009 at 5:01 AM

By KELLY DANIELS

T-G Correspondent

LOUDONVILLE -- While Main Street business districts have struggled in small towns across the country for years, Loudonville's downtown has survived better than most.

Over time, Loudonville's Main Street businesses have learned to adapt from stores that catered primarily to the needs of local residents to also honing in on the interests and needs of campers and tourists who have flooded the Mohican area.

Yet, with a half-dozen Main Street storefronts currently vacant, Loudonville's shopping district is facing yet another transition period, according to downtown merchants.

Special events, such as the recent car show and motorcycle show, along with Girls Night Out, Black Friday and Winterfest promotions, are playing bigger roles in bringing more customers to town. Others see making Loudonville an attractive stop for bus tours as another means to extending the tourism base.

This Saturday's (Aug. 1) annual sidewalk sales -- once the largest downtown special event second only to the annual October street fair -- is being retooled a bit in hopes of revitalizing it.

The stretch of Main Street between Water Street and Brentwood Drive will have tables set up by Loudonville locals.

Ann Bitner of Lingenfelter Jewelers is helping to organize the sales and bring in a new group of people to sell merchandise at the event.

"I have 10 people lined up right now to join us and hope to get more. They are selling things like car parts, handmade purses and hand-crafted earrings and bracelets," Bitner said.

Loudonville Mohican Chamber of Commerce has waived the fee for non-chamber members taking part in the sales, a fee that helps promote and pay for the event.

"It used to be if you were not a chamber member you had to pay a small fee to set up on the sidewalk," said Vikki Reinhard, owner of Creative Outlet. "I'm not sure why the

rule has changed, but otherwise as far as I'm concerned the more the merrier."

Special eventshave pluses, minuses

While special events are beneficial, it is not always easy to find events that meet every business's needs, merchants said.

"Exposure on special events like the sidewalk sales is fantastic," said Roger Bickhart, owner of Danner Pharmacy.

But things that might be helpful to the town as a whole may not always help the individual stores on Main Street or the downtown area. Bickhart described those sometimes-competing factors as "three bowls."

"When something only adds to one or two bowls, you have to decide how to participate," Bickhart said.

The loss of parking and access when Main Street is closed for special events is an example.

Dave Raby, owner of Raby's Hardware, said the sidewalk sales will help the town but may not benefit individual businesses overall due to the loss of parking.

"Parking is the biggest problem. When they close off the streets, regular customers can't come into town to do their business," Raby said.

Special events have varying effects on downtown restaurants, according to several owners of downtown eateries.

"Special events are good for the town but not necessarily for restaurants because they set up booths for outside vendors and that kind of cuts our legs out from under us," said Clint Friddle, owner of Chase's Place.

On the other hand, Mike Carroll, owner of West Main Cafe, finds the special events boost his business.

"Events like the car show and bike show really help out," Carroll said, "I think it would be nice if Loudonville could become a place where events are held."

Village hoping for bus tours

Another way Loudonville is transitioning to make itself more attractive to special events and increasing business is with the community public restroom project, which will be finished in the next month.

Loudonville is hoping to bring in bus tours, which usually stop in Amish country and carry 40 to 50 people to areas of interest. One requirement these bus tours have for any area they may stop is that there are "comfort stations" where they can rest and clean up before shopping and touring the area. The idea for the restrooms has been in the works for three or four years.

In the past, downtown visitors had to find a restroom in a restaurant or the public library, but the new restrooms on Brentwood Drive will be much more accessible.

Several business owners already plan to capitalize on the completion of the restroom project.

"I have my first bus tour lined up for Sept. 1," said Judy Strong, owner of Avon Beauty Center and one of the more active downtown merchants. "I think it will be very lucrative."

Bus tours and other special events often generate sales later.

"They (visitors to town) may see something they like and they'll remember us," Bitner said. "They may not buy something that day but for a birthday or a holiday they may come back."

Stores offer personal service

Despite Main Street's vacant storefronts, many of the business owners are hopeful about the future and do not believe Loudonville has seen any more of a decline than other small towns in the country, given the tough economic times.

"The vacancies are a trend of the times," said Dave Buzzard of Buzzard's Family Shoe Store, "as I look at other towns to see what we can do I see that we are no worse off."

Chris Tuttle, owner of Amish Oak Furniture Co., sees the downturn as a cyclical problem, stating that about every five or six years things seem to rotate in the less permanent stores on Main Street.

"Five years ago there were people who wanted space and couldn't find it," Tuttle said. "Right now there are more vacancies than we would like but five years from now people will be looking for space and it will be hard to find."

Julia Rhoads of Rhoads Jeweler said she can't remember a time when the economy was tougher, having had a business in Loudonville for more than 50 years.

She looks to the strength of the town and the unity of the store owners for hope and believes the downtown will bounce back.

"I want to let people know we are going about it with hope in mind," Rhoads said.

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